<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: What?
Review: I can tell you from experience with postmodern thought through contemporary hermeneutics that none of the "tenets of postmodernity" Erickson outlines in his book sound in the least bit familiar. If this is not the classic case of a straw-man, I don't know what one is. What you WILL hear if you ask an evangelical what "postmodernism" is, something I did a lot of as a seminary student, is "well, they say there is no such thing as truth."Huh? Erickson's book played a large role in getting one of his subjects, Keith Putt, fired from Southwestern Seminary by its reactionary trustees (not necessarily a bad thing, they have been doing a lot of that lately). Now, Erickson is smart (trapped in a Modernist mindset, but smart), and fairly famous, and certainly should have picked on someone his own size. But leaving that aside, his critique of deconstruction in the book is laughed at by people who actually USE deconstructive hermeneutics. Erickson ought to get back into bed with Descartes and leave postmodern thought to postmoderns. RE: the review below: Erickson doesn't give his perspective on pomo because he doesn't HAVE one, not yet. Once enough powerful conservatives are worried enough about people "not believing in truth anymore," or something, he'll say its bad, and write another book. He knows which side of the bread gets the butter, as they say. Erickson needed to publish a book, I guess, and the anti-intellectual madness that is sweeping the evangelical churches right now provided the perfect witch-hunting milieu for this book. Let's hope no other careers are ruined. In the meantime, here's an idea: read Oden (a fundamentalist, after all--who is Erickson kidding? ), Putt, or Grenz, and see for yourself. Then read Erickson, and you'll see the ideology shining through this smear-campaign of a book. Pax.
Rating: 
Summary: Good overview
Review: In Postmodernizing the Faith, Erickson provides an summary and analysis of six evangelical theologians and their responses to postmodernism. He begins with those thinkers who have reacted negatively to postmodernism. David Wells, of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the first writer Erickson deals with, urges a strong rejection of postmodernism, with its pluralistic and relativistic trends. His analysis is historical, cultural, and sociological and mainly attempts to show the many ways that evangelicals have been negatively influenced by postmodernism. Erickson criticizes Wells for neglecting to offer a real solution, and for his failure to engage the deeper epistemological issues that are the root cause of much postmodern thought. Erickson next turns to Thomas Oden, once a flaming liberal but now a converted paleo-orthodox thinker. Oden urges Christians to reject much postmodernism as simply ultramodernism, the last dying gasp of modernist nihilism. In its place, he exhorts Christians to recapture the greatness of their tradition. His solution is not a simple return to premodernity but rather a postcritical appreciation of premodernity. Francis Schaeffer is the third evangelical Erickson looks at. At L'Abri in Switzerland, Schaeffer dealt with the early European manifestations of postmodernism. In his major works he emphasized the need for Christians to defend the classical concepts of antithesis and absolute/objective truth. His apologetic attempted to drive the non-Christian to live consistently according to his presuppositions, which would prove impossible, because on atheistic premises, suicide is the only logical option. The second section of the book examines three thinkers who have embraced postmodernism, or at least parts of it. Stanley Grenz, author of the Primer on Postmodernism, advocates an end to the dry propositionalism/rationalism and destructive individualism/dualism of classic evangelicalism. He thinks that evangelicals have tied themselves to closely to Enlightenment thought - an alliance that will bring their downfall. He proposes a communitarian approach to Christianity and a revisioning of theology for the 21st century. Brian J. Walsh and Richard Middleton also take a positive view of postmodernism. Their concern is to justify Christianity in the face of the postmodern charge that the Biblical worldview is a violent totalizing metanarrative. Their hermeneutic reflects this desire. They go to lengths to eliminate the sovereignty of God, the conquest of Canaan, and the more violent aspects of revelation. They also adhere to the narrative based theology of Frei and Lindbeck. Lastly, Erickson analyzes the thought of Keith Putt, a prof at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Putt is an enthusiastic supporter of the deconstructionist project. His whacked-out reading of Scripture leads him to a theopassional theology that is virtually indistinguishable from process a/theology. Erickson concludes this volume with an essay outlining his view of what an effective apologetic to postmodernity might look like. He promises a forthcoming work that will flesh out his plan for the future of theology in a postmodern age. Erickson is a master at summarizing. He efficiently encapsulates the main thoughts of the thinkers he writes about. His writing style is lucid and eminently readable. In his analyses of the various thinkers, he seems to grasp the important issues and to have a rather nuanced understanding of the subject. I wait with anticipation for his promised work on postmodernism.
Rating:
Summary: Good overview
Review: In Postmodernizing the Faith, Erickson provides an summary and analysis of six evangelical theologians and their responses to postmodernism. He begins with those thinkers who have reacted negatively to postmodernism. David Wells, of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, the first writer Erickson deals with, urges a strong rejection of postmodernism, with its pluralistic and relativistic trends. His analysis is historical, cultural, and sociological and mainly attempts to show the many ways that evangelicals have been negatively influenced by postmodernism. Erickson criticizes Wells for neglecting to offer a real solution, and for his failure to engage the deeper epistemological issues that are the root cause of much postmodern thought. Erickson next turns to Thomas Oden, once a flaming liberal but now a converted paleo-orthodox thinker. Oden urges Christians to reject much postmodernism as simply ultramodernism, the last dying gasp of modernist nihilism. In its place, he exhorts Christians to recapture the greatness of their tradition. His solution is not a simple return to premodernity but rather a postcritical appreciation of premodernity. Francis Schaeffer is the third evangelical Erickson looks at. At L'Abri in Switzerland, Schaeffer dealt with the early European manifestations of postmodernism. In his major works he emphasized the need for Christians to defend the classical concepts of antithesis and absolute/objective truth. His apologetic attempted to drive the non-Christian to live consistently according to his presuppositions, which would prove impossible, because on atheistic premises, suicide is the only logical option. The second section of the book examines three thinkers who have embraced postmodernism, or at least parts of it. Stanley Grenz, author of the Primer on Postmodernism, advocates an end to the dry propositionalism/rationalism and destructive individualism/dualism of classic evangelicalism. He thinks that evangelicals have tied themselves to closely to Enlightenment thought - an alliance that will bring their downfall. He proposes a communitarian approach to Christianity and a revisioning of theology for the 21st century. Brian J. Walsh and Richard Middleton also take a positive view of postmodernism. Their concern is to justify Christianity in the face of the postmodern charge that the Biblical worldview is a violent totalizing metanarrative. Their hermeneutic reflects this desire. They go to lengths to eliminate the sovereignty of God, the conquest of Canaan, and the more violent aspects of revelation. They also adhere to the narrative based theology of Frei and Lindbeck. Lastly, Erickson analyzes the thought of Keith Putt, a prof at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Putt is an enthusiastic supporter of the deconstructionist project. His whacked-out reading of Scripture leads him to a theopassional theology that is virtually indistinguishable from process a/theology. Erickson concludes this volume with an essay outlining his view of what an effective apologetic to postmodernity might look like. He promises a forthcoming work that will flesh out his plan for the future of theology in a postmodern age. Erickson is a master at summarizing. He efficiently encapsulates the main thoughts of the thinkers he writes about. His writing style is lucid and eminently readable. In his analyses of the various thinkers, he seems to grasp the important issues and to have a rather nuanced understanding of the subject. I wait with anticipation for his promised work on postmodernism.
Rating:
Summary: Swallowing Camels
Review: Oh come on, this book cannot be serious. "Postmodernizing the Faith," if this is not poking the latest bogeyman in the eye, I am not sure what is. All the talk about "positing presuppositions," when it is THE hallmark of fundamentalism that it never examines its own presuppositions! The big joke on this book (and supporters of it) is that it is with the advent of post-structuralism and hermeneutics that the importance of context and presuppositions really began to come to the fore! These are questions that would never have even been raised had "postmodernity" never been born, and yet this book (and its supporters) have the audacity to say, "pomo is blind to its foundations." That is irresponsible and would be laughable, if it didn't happen to be the crux of this (admittedly popular) book. If you assume the litany of beliefs that conservative evangelicals do, you naturally will get books like this, as well as other bloodless and dissecated works by evangelicals and "reformed epistemologists" alike. Can we strain any more at a gnat than this? The adversarial stance this book takes at its outset is also in poor form. Working off of the assumption that "postmodernism" is antithetical to (what Erickson believes is) Christianity, Erickson tries to show through a savaging of several other author's works why pomo is from the devil. But I find no real discussion of why Erickson assumes pomo to be so awful. I find great Christianity in the work of Grenz, for example, the kind of faith I would like to have myself. Erickson's reasons for being so adversarial is clear (his prejudices and presuppositions), but I still wonder how he could come to most of his conclusions. The arrogance and blindness of the positions taken by this author in this book is breathtaking. Erickson has never once, it seems, considered that all his assumptions about pomo, biblical interpretation, historical context, and such are not only challenged, but fringe-oriented and unsuportable! I am quite suprised that Erickson's subjects in this book haven't sued him for libel! Tha main problem with this book, though, apart from the shallow scholarship it evidences and the blinders it asks the reader to put on, is the fact that it is un-Christian, in the most profound sense of that word. Why would Ericson have written this book, as opposed to another? And why his other book of character assassinations, "The Evanglical Left"? Why did he feel it necessary to attack these men in this way? I learn nothing about these men's works that I did not already know, but I learn quite a bit about the kind of faith Erickson would like to see. I am not at all sure it is mine.
Rating: 
Summary: Postmoderns Need to Posit Their Presuppositions
Review: What is so outstanding about this volume is how the author points out what is the most glaring failure of this movement, namely its unawareness or unacknowledgement of its own Control Beliefs, Premises, Presuppositions, Historical Context, Philosophical/Metaphysical Bent which so heavily shape its content and conclusions. What is needed for any theological/doctrinal system that challenges evangelical/historical positions is a declaration,discussion and defense of such presuppositions, how they compare to the competition and why theirs are more plausible/tenable. Until postmodernism and other movements such as neotheism can engage at this fundamental level, any meaningful dialog with reality and Biblical truth is futile. Recommended highly to stimulate further research in this challenging arena.
<< 1 >>
|
